A timeline of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s efforts to protect children from child sex abuse shows the organization only recently made some of its protocols mandatory for its more than 4,600 local affiliates.

Mandatory background checks for all club staff and volunteers were enacted in 2003, according to the national nonprofit, and became an annual requirement in 2012. Reporting of all “critical safety incidents” at local clubs to the national organization became a rule in 2013. Today, the nonprofit offers staffing ratio “suggestions,” but does not enforce them as requirements, according to administrators.

Administrators for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America said they don't maintain a public record of allegations of child sex abuse at its affiliates, which advocates argue is now a standard in youth organizations’ prevention efforts. The organization said on Thursday it will re-evaluate what it can do to better inform communities when allegations of abuse arise.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America does not publicly track child sex abuse allegations within its clubs, administrators said in July, which advocates argue is now a standard in youth organizations’ prevention efforts.

John Miller, senior vice president of field services at Boys & Girls Clubs of America, said the organization has significantly enhanced its safety guidelines and policies in the last two decades and continues to update its practices and procedures.

“We want to prevent, to the greatest extent possible, anyone doing harm to kids,” Miller said. “We know more today than people knew 30 years ago. We now have better technology. Better communication can create strong support for young people. We are not perfect, but we recognize how vitally important it is to get to a place where any kid who comes into any of our clubs is safe.”

Child sex abuse is the most prevalent health problem children face with the most serious array of consequences, according to a review published by the nonprofit Darkness to Light in 2013.

Survivors are subject to a greater risk of an array of emotional and mental health problems, studies show they face many obstacles in succeeding and functioning in adulthood. The economic impact is estimated to be about $210,000 annually per victim, according to a 2013 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which costs the U.S. billions every year.

About one in 10 children will be sexually abused before they turn 18, research shows.

Believing victims

Taking all reports of sexual abuse seriously is the duty of the adults who are told about the abuse, advocates say, and is essential in prevention.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America instituted the requirement that clubs report instances of abuse to the national organization in 2014. For about 50 years, Miller said every local organization has had the responsibility to report abuse to law enforcement and regulatory agencies.

Hearst Connecticut Media’s investigation found two instances since 2014 in which victims said their reports of abuse were not believed by adults and their alleged abuse was not reported to law enforcement. Four instances that predated the 2014 rule were found in the investigation. All of those alleged failures to report abuse to authorities occurred in the last 50 years.

When a child comes forward about being abused, it’s of utmost importance that the adult they confide in listens and believes them, said Beth Hamilton, associate director of the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence .

“Research shows if someone is not believed or they have a poor experience making the initial disclosure, they are significantly less likely to make the disclosure in the future,” she said. “Adults have a real responsibility to make those kids feel seen and heard.”

Any adult with knowledge of or reason to suspect an instance of child abuse should report what they know to law enforcement immediately, said Ivy DeAngelis, the social behavior change manager for Darkness to Light. Professionals who work with children should be educated on their legal obligations to report abuse and which agencies to report it to.

“If someone sees something, we of course encourage them to report it,” said DeAngelis. “If a bystander sees a child alone and uncomfortable touching or hugging an adult, that bystander should address the situation with the other adult. Speak up and vocalize those concerns.”

Clear rules

Having uniform policies about how an organization handles reports of abuse is key in prevention, said Hamilton.

Civil lawsuits filed against local Boys & Girls Clubs in the past two decades allege the nonprofits did not adhere to national guidelines or were entirely unaware of them.

While it’s critical adults know the rules, the children being served by the organization should also be aware of the rules and codes of conduct adults should adhere to, said Pam Clasgens, the community awareness and prevention director at the National Children’s Advocacy Center in Alabama. If children are aware of the rules, they are more likely to report when they have been broken, she added.

Adults should tell the child what they will do with the information they disclosed and what will happen next, said Hamilton.

Protecting boundaries

Because more than 80 percent of child sex abuse cases happen in one-on-one situations, according to Darkness to Light, eliminating those situations greatly reduces a child’s risk of being assaulted. It’s important to think carefully about the safety of children in any isolated situation, including ones involving older children, said DeAngelis.

The voting body of the national organization made the prohibition of “private one-on-one contact” between children and adults at local clubs an official rule in 2017, according to Miller. For decades before that, Miller said Boys & Girls Clubs of America recommended private interactions be avoided.

Civil and criminal court documents filed in the last 20 years show child sex abusers at local clubs ignored that recommendation or found ways to get around it.

Predators gain access to children by forming relationships with their families and communities in a process known by psychiatric professionals as “grooming.” It involves a predator identifying potential victims, gaining their trust and breaking down their defenses, per the National Center for Victims of crime.

Perpetrators will look for the child’s vulnerabilities in order to exploit them. It’s common for abusers to give their victims special attention, gifts and praise. Abusers manipulate their victims so they think the abuser is the only person who understands the victim or can meet his or her needs. This manipulation can also be aimed at convincing the victim that the abuser needs the victim because he or she is the only one that understands them.

Victims are often isolated from others by predators in social situations in an attempt to gain access to the child without the risk of others witnessing the abuse, as was alleged in multiple civil cases involving Boys & Girls Club of America affiliates.

Perpetrators attempt to create secrecy around the sexual abuse. They may use manipulation and private communication to convince the victim that they have a special connection. The secrecy is reinforced by the predator telling the victim not to tell anyone about the abuse, and may threaten the victim with physical harm or more abuse.

Bystanders who see an adult violating a boundary, like an organization’s rule against one-on-one time, should reinforce that boundary, advocates say.

Education, extinguishing secrecy

Giving kids the language they need to describe potential abuse and educating them about body autonomy, healthy relationships, maintaining boundaries and consent are part of what cultivates safety for youth, said Hamilton. Talking about these topics takes the shame and secrecy away from abuse, she added.

“The more kids grow up talking about these things, the more you help set kids up to be successful in being able to maintain those boundaries and get adult assistance when they need it,” said Hamilton.

It’s essential for adults to talk with kids about what parts of their bodies adults should not touch and the possibility that family members or people they know and trust might be abusers, DeAngelis said.

There are some educational programs for children that focus on child sex abuse prevention available to Boys & Girls Clubs, said Miller. Those programs are offered to all clubs, but are not required, he added.

Hannah Dellinger is a Hearst Journalism Fellow covering general assignments for the Houston Chronicle.

Her fellowship began at the Greenwich Time.

Before starting the fellowship, Hannah worked as a breaking news and crime reporter at the Frederick News-Post in Maryland. Prior to that, she worked for large weekly newspapers in Virginia, covering crime for two years and education for three.

When she’s not working, Hannah spends as much time as possible outdoors with her 100-pound German Shepherd.